Freshly Graduated? 5 Tax and Financial Tips You Need to Know Before Entering the Real World

The article below is accurate for your 2017 taxes, the one that you file this year by the April 2018 deadline. Tax information below will change next year for your 2018, but won’t impact you this year. Learn more about tax reform here.

Life in the “real world” can be daunting, especially after the excitement of graduation. There seems to be so much to do, so it’s understandable if it feels overwhelming. You don’t need to feel that way, the first few months of the real world are easy if you follow these tips.

1. Start keeping a budget

The cornerstone of any solid financial plan is a budget. It’s a map of where you’ve been and where you need to go.

A budget can help you understand the money coming in, from your job, and the money going out, for your expenses. You can get very specific, and track every penny you spend, or rely on tools like Mint that track your spending and help you with your budget, but the key is to do something. You need visibility into your spending so you can make smart decisions about where your hard earned cash is going.

Are you spending too much on rent or a mortgage? A budget will tell you. Are you spending too much eating out? A budget will tell you. Without a budget, you’re flying blind and it’ll become very difficult to reach any financial goals.

2. Spend like you’re in college

Now that you have a firm grasp on your spending because of a budget, try to spend like you’re still in college living off ramen. It will be tempting to spend more now that you have a full time job, but resist that temptation. You were likely used to a certain, less expensive lifestyle, in college and so try to remain at that level.

Put the rest towards savings goals like an emergency fund, your retirement, and your first home; and you’ll find yourself able to reach those goals much faster than you otherwise would have.

3. Moving expenses

Did you move because of your first job and pay for some, or all, of it out of your own pocket? Those are considered “unreimbursed moving expenses” and they may be tax deductible for 2017.

There are three rules when it comes to moving expenses. First, the move has to be related to the start of work both in time and place. For time, it needs to be within a year of the start of work. So you can start work at a new place, move six months later, and that still qualifies.

The second rule is the distance rule. The distance rule says that your new main job location has to be at least 50 miles farther away from your previous residence than your old main job location.

Finally, the third rule is the time test. The time test is simple, you must work full time for 39 weeks during the 12 months after the move. It doesn’t have to be with the same employer, it doesn’t have to 39 consecutive weeks, but you do need to work full time for 39 weeks.

If you satisfy all those rules, you may be able to claim your moving expenses on your tax return. You will be able to deduct the reasonable expenses of moving your household goods as well as travel, excluding meals, so keep good records of what you spend.

4. Student loan interest

If you graduated with student loans, the interest you pay is often tax deductible depending on your income level and a few other factors. The main factors that would disqualify you, outside of income, are filing status and whether you are dependent. If you file as married filing separately or if you, or your spouse, are claimed as a dependent on another tax return, you cannot claim student loan interest.

As for income, if you have a modified adjusted gross income above $65,000 (or $135,000 for joint returns), then your deduction will begin to phase out all the way up to $80,000 ($165,000 for joint returns). If you qualify, you are able to deduct up to $2,500 of your student loan interest.

5. Job hunting

You may have heard that job hunting expenses are tax deductible, but they aren’t tax deductible when you’re looking for your first job. When you switch jobs, and remain in the same line of work, that’s when they may be tax deductible for 2017. You can deduct a variety of job hunting expenses from fees you pay to an employment agency to costs associated with preparing and sending out your resume. If there is travel involved, that is deductible as well once you exclude any personal expenses.

This is a miscellaneous itemized deduction and so the amount you can deduct will depend on whether the sum total of your miscellaneous itemized deductions exceeds a certain threshold (2% of your adjusted gross income) for miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Don’t worry knowing these tax laws. TurboTax ask you simple questions about you and gives you the tax deductions and credits you’re eligible for based on your entries.

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